A joy ride in the buff proves tough
Mark Milian
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: News
Watching bikers glide down the street on a warm evening can add a certain childlike charm to a neighborhood's ambiance. Unless the bikers are naked.
One female and four male university students received trespassing citations April 18 when police found them around 11:45 p.m. playing on the playground equipment at University Park Elementary School, according to police.
"The call that we received for juveniles riding in the nude; that's a little out of the ordinary for this community," said University Park Police Lt. Wayne McCully, whose police department covers the small residential community of about 2,300 people.
The naked riders threw on clothing from their bags when they saw an approaching patrol car, and they were partially dressed by the time police arrived, the students said. A second female rider, who was topless, escaped on her bicycle before police arrived, they said.
When police arrived, saying they were responding to a resident's phone complaint, only one of the students - Caitlin, a sophomore neurobiology and psychology major who declined to use her full name - was still partially nude. She was slapped with an indecent exposure citation a few days after the incident, said McCully.
"When the cop came, we all had our pants on at that point but not our shirts," said Caitlin, whose parents were called by police around 3 a.m. "My parents, the night they were called, were super angry. They were like, 'Caitlin, you're ridiculous. Find a way to pay the $500 [trespassing] fine.'"
A trespassing charge can result in up to a $500 fine and three months in jail, and indecent exposure can result in a $1,000 fine and up to three years in jail, according to Maryland law.
Maryland code doesn't specify exactly what constitutes indecent exposure, though attorney and government and politics professor Amir Sadeghy said a topless woman likely would fall under the definition.
Singling Caitlin out from the shirtless bunch probably would not be classified as gender discrimination, said Sadeghy, who is also the director of the university Mock Trial team.
One female and four male university students received trespassing citations April 18 when police found them around 11:45 p.m. playing on the playground equipment at University Park Elementary School, according to police.
"The call that we received for juveniles riding in the nude; that's a little out of the ordinary for this community," said University Park Police Lt. Wayne McCully, whose police department covers the small residential community of about 2,300 people.
The naked riders threw on clothing from their bags when they saw an approaching patrol car, and they were partially dressed by the time police arrived, the students said. A second female rider, who was topless, escaped on her bicycle before police arrived, they said.
When police arrived, saying they were responding to a resident's phone complaint, only one of the students - Caitlin, a sophomore neurobiology and psychology major who declined to use her full name - was still partially nude. She was slapped with an indecent exposure citation a few days after the incident, said McCully.
"When the cop came, we all had our pants on at that point but not our shirts," said Caitlin, whose parents were called by police around 3 a.m. "My parents, the night they were called, were super angry. They were like, 'Caitlin, you're ridiculous. Find a way to pay the $500 [trespassing] fine.'"
A trespassing charge can result in up to a $500 fine and three months in jail, and indecent exposure can result in a $1,000 fine and up to three years in jail, according to Maryland law.
Maryland code doesn't specify exactly what constitutes indecent exposure, though attorney and government and politics professor Amir Sadeghy said a topless woman likely would fall under the definition.
Singling Caitlin out from the shirtless bunch probably would not be classified as gender discrimination, said Sadeghy, who is also the director of the university Mock Trial team.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 8 of 10
Jim Scott
posted 4/30/08 @ 12:47 PM EST
Wow, these idiots are lucky, in some states this would result in them being registered sex offenders...
Michele
posted 5/01/08 @ 10:19 AM EST
Good luck to these guys/gal. It sounds like the whole thing got blown way out of proportion. They were just naked for god's sake.
Travis
posted 5/03/08 @ 11:13 AM EST
That is discrimination...guys have breasts too, but they don't produce milk (usually) or get as big. It does't sound like they were being inapporiate (like having sex on the playground), they were just having a good time going for a bike-ride and playing on a playground. (Continued…)
Tino
posted 5/03/08 @ 1:04 PM EST
Travis, while I agree with you that our society cannot differentiate between nudity and sexual innuendos, such as acts of non sexual gratification and breastfeeding; these people knew that federal law prohibits indecent exposure but proceed to disregard it(especially in a state that has one of the strictest indecent exposure laws)
Co-ed Naked
posted 5/03/08 @ 7:23 PM EST
If you're stupid enough to go bike riding naked you deserve everything you get. No sympathy
Travis
posted 5/03/08 @ 10:56 PM EST
So andy, it ok for guys to go shirtless and girls not to? They should have every right to go topless just as we do. if we want to ban pictures of breasts for sexual reasons, then shouldn't we ban pictures of feet becasue of those who have a foot fetish? I would name off a few others but I don't know much about that kind of stuff. (Continued…)
Mr. Applebutter
posted 5/05/08 @ 1:52 PM EST
Didn't the bike seat chafe the beef curtains?
Travis
posted 5/11/08 @ 7:30 PM EST
I have never tried Applebutter, but from what I heard its not that bad. It does sound painful to me, but even when I do wear clothing my seat is painful. (Continued…)
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